WHO warns of more hantavirus cases in 'limited' outbreak

📌 Summary:

• WHO warned that more hantavirus cases could emerge following a "limited" outbreak that killed three passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship
• A fourth sick passenger from the vessel landed in Europe; the ship was heading to Spain's Canary Islands; health officials scrambling to trace the outbreak
• Death toll: 3 confirmed dead; one additional hospitalised case; ship carried hundreds of passengers from multiple nationalities including Dutch, British, and American citizens
• The strain involved is a HUMAN-TO-HUMAN transmissible variant of hantavirus — unlike typical hantavirus infection which spreads only from rodents to humans
• Typical hantavirus transmission: Through contact with infected rodents or their excreta (saliva, urine, faeces) — not usually contagious between humans
• This outbreak variant: Capable of limited human-to-human spread — hence WHO's caution; however described as "less contagious than COVID-19"
• Hantavirus overview: RNA virus from Hantaviridae family; causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS); no approved vaccine exists globally
• India context: NIV (National Institute of Virology) chief said India faces "no immediate public health threat"; Kerala flagged as a potential risk state due to rodent habitats; Kerala previously dealt with Nipah outbreaks — surveillance systems in place
• WHO response: Activated outbreak monitoring; advising isolation of confirmed cases; tracing contacts among ship passengers